Burst Tomato Cottage Cheese Caprese Bowl is an easy, savory, high protein lunch that doesn’t require heating up!

Cottage Cheese Caprese Bowl
I came up with this idea after buying the whole milk version of Good Culture Cottage cheese, which is the best tasting brand in my opinion. It reminded me of the inside of Burrata cheese so I figured why not enjoy this caprese style! This is SO good and makes a delicious high protein lunch! If you love this idea, you might also love this savory cottage cheese bowl or these high protein cottage cheese and scrambled eggs!
I polled my audience and asked what I should share and top of the list was high protein lunch recipes! So I started a series sharing my super simple, high protein lunch recipes on Instagram and Tik Tok and this was so popular I decided to share it here. You can see the videos of this and my other lunches!
Burst tomatoes are wonderful with cottage cheese, it taste a little like pizza! It takes about 5 minutes to make burst tomatoes in the air fryer, but you can also do them in a sheet pan in the oven and roast until they are tender. Or skip the cooking and eat them fresh.
@skinnytaste New High Protein Lunch idea! Burst Tomato Caprese Cottage Cheese Bowls – 29 grams protein
How do you make cottage cheese taste good savory?
- Fresh Veggies – Add some fresh tomatoes, cucumbers or bell peppers.
- Season It– a drizzle of extra olive oil, salt and pepper are a must! Or drizzle on some balsamic glaze.
- Go nuts! Try adding some nuts such as almonds, pistachios, for texture.
- Fresh herbs: chop up some basil or mint to add freshness.
- Bagel It! Add some lox and everything bagel seasoning.
More High Protein Lunch Recipes You Don’t Have To Heat Up
- Spicy Canned Salmon Rice Bowls
- Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Avocado Quinoa Salad
- Tuna Egg Salad
- Tuna Salad Endive Wraps
Burst Tomato Cottage Cheese Caprese Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup Good Culture cottage cheese I used whole, you can use 2%
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon balsamic glaze
- fresh basil for garnish
- pinch kosher salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season tomatoes in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil and pinch of salt. Air fry 400F 5 to 6 minutes, shaking the basket halfway, until they burst.
- Place cottage cheese in a bowl, top with tomatoes, drizzle more oil, balsamic glaze, salt, pepper, and garnish with basil.
Love your recipes but this one just wasn’t for me.Â
I’m excited to try this soon! If you’re packing for lunch, do you eat it cold or reheat in the microwave?
I enjoyed this recipe for lunch today. I didn’t have fresh basil on hand, so I added dried basil to the tomatoes before blistering. Fresh would definitely be better, but this also worked. I added pistachios and used balsamic glaze. Will definitely make again!
I tried this for the first time today. What an amazing combination! I love cottage cheese, but I don’t always want something sweet with it. I used a toaster oven to burst the tomatoes, since that is what we have available at my office. They were delicious. As someone else suggested, I topped with some pistachios for crunch! I will definitely be making and enjoying this again!
I didn’t have basil on hand, but this was delicious! It filled me up while being low calorie and healthy.
I couldn’t remember what cottage cheese was recommended for this when I was at the store, but I grabbed Good cottage cheese, so I got it right. I liked the texture better than cottage cheese than I had in the past, so I would definitely buy it again.
Almost like eating ricotta cheese.
I cooked tomatoes under the broiler for about 8 minutes and used a fig balsamic vinegar rather than a glaze because that’s what I had on hand. Very tasty!
I have to admit that this was not a meal I was looking forward to, but had some cottage cheese and tomatoes to use up. Well, what a pleasant surprise! Delicious! I used cubed Roma tomatoes and baked in the toaster oven. I also cut up the basil and sprinkled on top of the final product. You must try this delicious mix of flavors!!!
So yummy! I added a few crushed pistachios for crunch and it is so delicious. I could eat this every day!
I would like to try this but need help on what balsamic glaze to buy or make?!
I’m not a chef but I use Roland Foods Balsamic Vinegar Glaze of Modena, I get it off Amazon but I’ve seen it in the regular grocery store too. It’s delicious and not terribly expensive. Â
This sounds absolutely delicious! I plan to add a little mozzarella cheese also 😃
One word. YUMMY! I used multi color tomatoes and did them a bit longer. Also uses my oil sprayer to save a bit of fat. Â This is called lunch but I had as post workout snack. So easy and delicious.Â
Amazing! Followed the recipe exactly, except roasted tomatoes for less time. Thanks so much!
Great!!
This has quickly become a favorite! So fresh and delightful. I love all the different ways that you play with the caprese concept.
I am really cutting back on the fats though, and felt like this was a little higher fat than it needed to be (for my dietary needs)
So I tried a variation of this where I cut the 2 tsp of oil, and simply sprayed the tomatoes with a little olive oil spray. It was fantastic and I didn’t miss the extra oil at all.
This dropped the fat content from 12 to 5.4! Just wanted to share in case anyone else is looking to cut the fat a bit when enjoying this delicious recipe
I’ve been eating this, paired with two English muffins and topped with ham every other day for the last two weeks 🙂 it’s an absolutely amazing meal, and super quick to make if you need to do a fast small breakfast.
Bursting tomato trick is phenomenal. I’ve been airfrying for years now and I’m still discovering new ways to use it.
Thank you for another great recipe!
My new favorite breakfast! I don’t have an air fryer, I just roast them in the toaster oven and the tomatoes come out great. Thanks Gina for another great recipe!
I am so happy I tried this . It was absolutely delicious !!!
Thanks so much for the recipe.
Delicious! Quick and easy lunch!
This is super easy and delicious! It’s also great with ricotta too!
I underestimated how good this is. Super easy, too. Thanks!
This was delicious! I think next time I’ll add a little extra salt because my store bought glaze was so sweet, but I LOVE THIS!
Great!!